Conveyancing fees when selling a house
Selling is the cheaper half of a move, legally speaking — but only if you know which costs land on your side and which ones don’t.
Guides · 5 min read · Last updated 22 September 2026
The short answer
For a freehold sale in England and Wales in 2026, expect £750–£1,300 in legal fees plus VAT, and roughly £50–£150 in disbursements. That is typically £100–£200 less than buying the same property, and the gap is almost entirely disbursements: a seller pays for no searches and no Land Registry registration.
Leasehold is the exception that matters. A leasehold sale routinely adds £350–£900 once the management pack and the leasehold supplement are counted, and neither is optional.
For the full picture across buying, selling and remortgaging, see how much conveyancing costs.
What you’re paying for
A sale is a smaller job than a purchase, and the fee reflects it. Your conveyancer:
- draws up the contract pack and the property information forms;
- answers the buyer’s enquiries — the part that actually consumes the time;
- obtains a redemption figure from your lender and settles the mortgage on completion;
- exchanges, completes, and sends you the balance.
What they do not do is the investigative half of a purchase: no local authority search, no drainage and water search, no environmental search, no Land Registry registration. Those are the buyer’s costs, and their absence is why your quote is shorter.
The seller’s costs, itemised
- Legal fee — £750–£1,300 plus VAT at 20%, usually banded by sale price.
- Official copies of the title — £3–£7 per document. Your conveyancer downloads the register and title plan from HM Land Registry to build the contract pack. A handful of pounds, not a line worth arguing about.
- Bank transfer (CHAPS) fee — £20–£45, if funds are sent on the day.
- ID and anti-money-laundering checks — £10–£30 per seller.
- Mortgage redemption administration — £0–£75 at some firms for handling the lender’s redemption statement and final payment.
Rule of thumb: a seller’s disbursements are tens of pounds, not hundreds — the list above reaches roughly £150 for two sellers at a firm that charges redemption admin. If a quote shows several hundred in third-party costs on a freehold sale, ask what they are: you may be looking at a purchase quote, or at supplements presented as disbursements.
Leasehold: the cost that surprises people
If you’re selling a flat, or a house with a lease, two things change.
The leasehold supplement — £150–£400 on the legal fee. The lease has to be read, and the buyer’s conveyancer will raise enquiries specific to it.
The management pack — £200–£500, charged by your freeholder or managing agent, not by your solicitor. It contains the service charge accounts, buildings insurance, and the answers to the standard leasehold enquiries. You cannot sell without it, the price is set by the managing agent, and turnaround is commonly two to four weeks — which is why ordering it early is the single most useful thing a leasehold seller can do.
Some managing agents also charge for a licence to assign or a deed of covenant. Those are the buyer’s costs after completion, but they belong in the conversation because they affect what your buyer is willing to pay.
What isn’t a conveyancing fee
Three costs get folded into “selling fees” in conversation, and none of them is your conveyancer’s:
- Estate agent commission — typically 1–3% of the sale price plus VAT, and by far the largest cost of selling. Paid from the proceeds on completion, usually via your conveyancer, which is why it appears on the completion statement.
- Energy Performance Certificate — £60–£120, and legally required before marketing.
- Early repayment charge — set by your mortgage contract, not by anyone in the transaction. Worth checking before you list, because it can be several thousand pounds.
Selling and buying at the same time
Most sellers are also buying. Instructing one firm for both sides is normal and usually cheaper than two separate retainers, because the work overlaps and firms price the pair accordingly.
The buyer’s side carries the heavier cost — searches, registration and Stamp Duty all sit there, as the buying guide sets out. Ask for the quote as a pair, itemised on both sides. A firm that quotes you a keen sale fee and a heavy purchase fee has simply moved the money, and you will only notice at completion.
Comparing both sides at once? The form asks whether you’re selling, buying, or both, and prices the whole move. Get my tailored quotes — free.
Quick answers
Do I pay conveyancing fees if my sale falls through?
On a no-move-no-fee arrangement the legal fee is waived, which matters given roughly a third of UK transactions collapse. Money already spent on your behalf — the management pack especially — is generally not recoverable, because the managing agent has already done the work.
When do I pay?
Most firms take nothing up front on a sale, or a small payment on account, and settle the bill from the sale proceeds at completion. That is the ordinary arrangement and it is worth confirming in writing rather than assuming.
Can I use the same conveyancer as my buyer?
Almost never. The two of you have opposing interests, and both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers restrict acting for both sides of a transaction. Expect separate firms.
Is the estate agent’s “recommended” solicitor a good deal?
It might be, but agents are often paid a referral fee, which has to be disclosed to you. Compare the quote against two or three others on total cost and on responsiveness before accepting it — the referral itself tells you nothing about the firm’s speed.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Conveyancing Index is not a firm of solicitors or licensed conveyancers — a regulated specialist will advise on your own circumstances.